Geekom Mini IT12 review: Intel NUC competitor with an Intel Core i7-1260P works very quietly!
The Geekom Mini IT12 is a compact and yet extremely powerful mini PC. Our test device is equipped with an Intel Core i7-1260P, 16 GB RAM, a 512 GB SSD and Windows 11 Professional. Currently, the manufacturer's asking price for the device is $639. This is already cheaper than its MRSP of $979. The cheaper version of the Mini IT12 starts at around $591. Then, you just have to settle for an Intel Core i5-1240P - which is by no means a bad SoC. Compared to our test device, there are no differences in SSDs.
A clear competitor to the Geekom Mini IT12 is the Intel NUC series - especially Wall Street Canyon and Arena Canyon models. Both models also have powerful SoCs and looks-wise, they are also quite similar. Some Morefine and Minisforum devices also prove to be similarly powerful competitors. You can find a list of comparison devices for this review in the following table.
Possible competitors compared
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
82.3 % | 05/2023 | Geekom Mini IT12 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 572 g | 45.6 mm | |
80.8 % | 04/2023 | Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 538 g | 37 mm | |
78.9 % | 11/2022 | Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 511 g | 37 mm | |
85.5 % | 03/2023 | Morefine M600, 6900HX R9 6900HX, Radeon 680M | 779 g | 40.6 mm | |
85.1 % | 01/2023 | Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 i9-12900H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.2 kg | 66 mm | |
79.5 % | 02/2023 | Minisforum Mars Series MC560 R5 5600U, Vega 7 | 562 g | 66 mm | |
09/2022 | Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 R5 5600U, Vega 7 | 628 g | 72 mm |
Geekom Mini IT12, i7-1260P in detail
Case
Visually, the Geekom Mini IT12 looks very similar to the Intel NUC models. With a footprint of 11.7 x 11.2 centimeters, they even have identical sizes. However, the Geekom Mini IT12 differs in height, as it has space to accomodate an additional 2.5-inch drive. Wall Street Canyon and Arena Canyon also have a selection of tall models which are constructed a bit bigger in height. At 4.5 centimetres tall, the Geekom Mini IT12 is still a relatively flat device. The biggest difference compared to its Intel competitors is its color: The Geekom Mini IT12 has a turquoise case and Intel are firmly tied to their black design. The Mini IT12's surfaces have a high-quality feel. We especially like the case lid, which looks considerably higher quality than its Intel counterparts. Unfortunately, most of the case is made from plastic - but visually, it has no faults whatsoever. A metal case would still give the device a slightly nicer feel - as seen in the Morefine M600 devices. It has to be said that none of these complaints are big issues at all - the device isn't lacking any stability which would justify the use of an aluminum case. Stability is provided by the metal reinforcements which are located beneath the plastic outer layer - again, the same as the Intel NUC devices.
On a side note: Just like with many other mini PCs, the Geekom Mini IT12 can be connected to a monitor using the provided VESA mount.
Connectivity
In terms of connectivity options, a lot speaks for the Geekom Mini IT12. It has four USB Type-A ports - which unfortunately only offer USB 2.0 speed. Furthermore, it has two modern USB-4 connections with Thunderbolt support. This allows for many external devices to be connected, which in turn can broaden the compact device's range of uses massively. In total, four screens can be connected via HDMI and Thunderbolt. The mini PC also features a 2.5 GB network connection, as well as an SD card reader which performs really well.
SD card reader
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Intel Beast Canyon NUC (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Average of class Mini PC (16.9 - 181.8, n=17, last 2 years) | |
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Geekom MiniAir 11 Special Edition (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
Intel Beast Canyon NUC (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Average of class Mini PC (18.2 - 200, n=17, last 2 years) | |
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Geekom MiniAir 11 Special Edition (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) |
Communication
Geekom make no compromises and have given the Mini IT12 a modern Wi-Fi-6E-AX211 module. The same model can be seen in the Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit as well as the Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit. The measured performance when sending and receiving data was good to very good in both 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands. An Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 was used as a test router for this test.
Accessories
Also included in the package is a 90-watt power adapter as well as a plate for the VESA mount. We also received an HDMI cable and short instruction manual.
Maintenance
The bottom of the Geekom Mini IT12 can be opened easily. The plate is held on by four screws, which also help dissipate heat coming off the SSD. Underneath, you can easily access the RAM and SSD slots. The WLAN module can also be swapped out and a 2.5-inch drive can be installed. It isn't the easiest to clean the fan - this would require the device to be further taken apart. The top plate isn't screwed on - one careful tug and it comes off smoothly.
Performance - Powerful Core i7 with P and E cores
With the use of an Intel Core i7-1260p, we expect the Geekom Mini to provide flawless performance in everyday use. Thanks to its combination of P and E cores, the SoC should be able to master even more complex tasks and, thus, live up to the Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit's standards easily - a device which has the same SoC.
Testing conditions
We performed all performance tests using the energy profile Balanced. We did not change the SoC's performance and instead left it in the state in which it was delivered to us according to the BIOS settings.
Processor
The Geekom Mini IT12 is equipped with a modern Intel Core i7-1260P. The SoC has access to twelve native cores and alongside this, it can process 16 threads in total. This makes the small processor a solid basis for complex tasks. Its short-term power consumption (PL2) is specified as being 64 watts and at continuous load (PL1) it consumes 28 watts. Compared to both of its Intel NUC competitors, our test device's much lower PL1 value in our test proved to be the reason for it having a much lower multi-thread performance. In total, though, its ratings were only 8 per cent behind the Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit.
For further comparisons and benchmarks, take a look at our CPU comparison table.
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
Geekom Mini IT12 vs. Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
We got our first look at how efficiently the installed cooling system works in combination with the SoC's power target during the Cinebench R15 continuous loop: The SoC performed best during the first run, where its maximum Turbo was able to be used. We already measured much lower results during the second run - for long stretches, the Intel Core i7-1260P only had access to 28 watts. During the rest of the test, we didn't measure any notable performance fluctuations and the device had an average result of 1,280 points.
System performance
The very conservatively set PL2 (Power Limit 2) meant that our test sample performed comparatively poor in the synthetic system performance benchmarks. However, the gap was much more noticeable in PCMark 10 than in Crossmark or the RAM benchmarks. In the latter, the Geekom Mini IT12 even achieved relatively good results and placed itself ahead of the Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit. The PC's performance is good and certainly proves to be suitable for everyday use.
* ... smaller is better
DPC latency
The Intel Core i7-1260P works well with the other components on the Geekom Mini IT12. When playing our 4K test video, we didn't observe any increased latencies. The iGPU was used to about 15 per cent of its capacity and even using Prime95 couldn't elicit any high latencies.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Minisforum Mars Series MC560 | |
Morefine M600, 6900HX | |
Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 |
* ... smaller is better
Storage devices
The Mini IT12 has a 512 GB NVMe SSD made by Kingston. The installed model uses the NVMe port, so it delivers good transfer rates. Nevertheless, the documented results cannot compete with those of the comparison devices. The first three comparison devices show what can be achieved with a very fast SSD. Nevertheless, the SSD's performance in the Geekom Mini IT12 is clearly superior to that of conventional SATA SSDs. In everyday use, the SSD is fast enough and in our test, there were generally no noticeable latencies. Under permanent load, the SSD was not able to access its full performance. Here it is clearly missing a cooling element to help avoid this decline in continuous load performance.
You can install up to three SSDs into the Geekom Mini IT12. Next to the NVMe SSD, you can install one further M.2 2242 SSD - however, this is limited to the SATA speed. Furthermore, a 2.5 inch storage device can also be installed into the device - here, you have to stick to a maximum height of 7 milimeters.
For further comparisons and benchmarks, take a look at our comparison table.
* ... smaller is better
Reading continuous performance: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics card
Due to the mini PC's Intel Core i7-1260P, it has an integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 graphics card with 96 EUs. In terms of performance, this model should really only be used for 2D rendering. The iGPU's 3D performance is simply too weak and is clearly inferior to AMD's Radeon 680M. In a direct performance comparison, the Geekom Mini IT12 again ranked directly behind the Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit. The reason for this is probably its lower permanent power consumption.
It is possible to connect external graphics cards to PCs using Thunderbolt, which we have always taken into consideration during our tests in the past. We made no exception for the Geekom Mini IT12, which even has two of these modern ports. We further documented the device's performance using our Razer Core X and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which we have listed in a separate comparison table. In this combination, the Geekom Mini IT12's 3D performance is increased dramatically. It should be noted, however, that the external graphics card only communicates over a limited bandwidth (PCIe 3.0 x4).
For further comparisons and benchmarks, take a look at our GPU comparison table.
3DMark 05 Standard | 37365 points | |
3DMark 06 Standard Score | 28231 points | |
3DMark Vantage P Result | 23589 points | |
3DMark 11 Performance | 6974 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 59563 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 18664 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 4472 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score | 2139 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 1725 points | |
Help |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti via Thunderbolt 3
Performance Rating - Percent | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
3DMark | |
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
Unigine Heaven 4.0 | |
Extreme Preset OpenGL | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Extreme Preset DX11 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
Unigine Valley 1.0 | |
1920x1080 Extreme HD DirectX AA:x8 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
1920x1080 Extreme HD Preset OpenGL AA:x8 | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
Unigine Superposition | |
1920x1080 1080p High | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
1920x1080 1080p Extreme | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
ComputeMark v2.1 | |
1024x600 Normal, Score | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 3DTex | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 2DTexArr | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
1024x600 Normal, Mandel Vector | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
1024x600 Normal, QJuliaRayTrace | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
Gaming performance
The integrated iGPU can't be recommended as a gaming solution. We were only able to achieve playable frame rates on older games and often only in lower resolutions and with reduced details. If you are looking for a device suitable for gaming, we would advise looking for a model with a dedicated graphics card. In this case, the Minisforum HX99G and the NUCXi7 would be excellent alternatives. As previously mentioned, the PC's 3D performance can be increased massively via Thunderbolt and using an eGPU dock. Just like in the synthetic tests, we paired the Geekom Mini IT12 with our Razer Core X and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Depending on the game and resolution, you can expect a performance increase of several 100 percent.
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7
The Witcher 3 | |
1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing | |
Morefine M600, 6900HX | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Mars Series MC560 | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 | |
1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off) | |
Morefine M600, 6900HX | |
Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Mars Series MC560 | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 |
GTA V | |
1024x768 Lowest Settings possible | |
Morefine M600, 6900HX | |
Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Minisforum Mars Series MC560 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
1920x1080 High/On (Advanced Graphics Off) AA:2xMSAA + FX AF:8x | |
Morefine M600, 6900HX | |
Minisforum Mars Series MC560 | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 | |
Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
low | med. | high | ultra | |
GTA V (2015) | 119.3 | 103.1 | 18.6 | 7.83 |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 86.9 | 28.9 | 13.4 | |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 108.1 | 83.8 | 60.9 | 55.2 |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 40.5 | 21.8 | 15.7 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 58.3 | 43.1 | 38.5 | |
Far Cry 5 (2018) | 50 | 27 | 25 | 23 |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 83.6 | 36.1 | 29.2 | 23.6 |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | 51.4 | 20.7 | 19.3 | |
Far Cry New Dawn (2019) | 46 | 26 | 25 | 23 |
Metro Exodus (2019) | 35.5 | 17.1 | 12.6 | 9.97 |
Borderlands 3 (2019) | 51.8 | 23.3 | 14.8 | 11.3 |
F1 2020 (2020) | 82.1 | 43.3 | 33.5 | 22.3 |
F1 2021 (2021) | 93 | 46 | 35.8 | 25.9 |
Far Cry 6 (2021) | 45.8 | 23.9 | 20.3 | |
GRID Legends (2022) | 47.2 | 37.2 | ||
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (2022) | 28.6 | 22.9 | 14.6 | 11.5 |
F1 22 (2022) | 41.1 | 37.5 | 27.6 | 21.9 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti via Thunderbolt 3
Performance Rating - Percent | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 High Quality | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
Strange Brigade - 1920x1080 ultra AA:ultra AF:16 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
Far Cry 5 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
Far Cry New Dawn - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
F1 2020 - 1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:T AF:16x | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
F1 2021 - 1920x1080 Ultra High Preset + Raytracing AA:T AF:16x | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
Borderlands 3 - 1920x1080 Badass Overall Quality (DX11) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Ace Magician TK11-A0 + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | |
GTA V (2015) | 176.9 | 169.5 | 162 | 96.6 | 89.3 | 103.1 |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 296.4 | 209.2 | 150.6 | 73.8 | 70.1 | |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 159.2 | 139.5 | 134.6 | 126.2 | 109.5 | |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 155.2 | 133.6 | 97.4 | 77.6 | 47.5 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 112.1 | 99.3 | 83.5 | 75.1 | ||
Far Cry 5 (2018) | 143 | 126 | 122 | 114 | 96 | 58 |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 201 | 153.3 | 151.7 | 147 | 128.2 | 83.1 |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | 126 | 108 | 106.1 | 102.6 | 87 | 54.1 |
Far Cry New Dawn (2019) | 123 | 109 | 105 | 95 | 89 | 60 |
Metro Exodus (2019) | 141.3 | 92.3 | 70.1 | 52.8 | 46 | 33.6 |
Borderlands 3 (2019) | 138.2 | 121.5 | 99.2 | 83.2 | 64.2 | 38 |
F1 2020 (2020) | 195.3 | 117.4 | 119.6 | 100.5 | 88.4 | 58.8 |
F1 2021 (2021) | 138.5 | 104.9 | 68.1 | 51.5 | 48.4 | 40.9 |
Far Cry 6 (2021) | 74.3 | 63.3 | 52.2 | 46 | 44.4 | |
God of War (2022) | 109.7 | 96.8 | 81.3 | 61.7 | 56.5 | 39.6 |
GRID Legends (2022) | 122.6 | 103.1 | 83.9 | 70.7 | 64.5 | 50.8 |
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (2022) | 169.5 | 140 | 100 | 80.7 | 61.3 | 36.3 |
F1 22 (2022) | 60.1 | 55.3 | 43 | 27.8 | 27.5 | 19.6 |
Emissions - frugal and quiet
Noise emissions
The Geekom Mini IT12 behaves very inconspicuously in terms of its noise emissions. Even in idle mode, we noted noise levels that were barely above the base value, which means the device is almost silent. Under load, our measurement equipment also showed a very low rate of only 32.5 dB(A). In comparison, only the Minisforum can keep up with the NAD9 here. Its Intel competitor measured considerably louder. In return, the two Intel NUC SoCs had up to 40 watts available under permanent load.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 29.9 / 30.1 / 30.2 dB(A) |
Load |
| 32.1 / 32.5 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 29.8 dB(A) |
Geekom Mini IT12 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Morefine M600, 6900HX R9 6900HX, Radeon 680M | Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 i9-12900H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Minisforum Mars Series MC560 R5 5600U, Vega 7 | Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 R5 5600U, Vega 7 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | -10% | -14% | -6% | 1% | -1% | -23% | |
off / environment * | 29.8 | 29.8 -0% | 30.4 -2% | 30.4 -2% | 30.2 -1% | 30.2 -1% | 30.5 -2% |
Idle Minimum * | 29.9 | 30.2 -1% | 33.1 -11% | 30.9 -3% | 30.5 -2% | 30.4 -2% | 31.5 -5% |
Idle Average * | 30.1 | 31.1 -3% | 33.1 -10% | 31.5 -5% | 30.5 -1% | 30.4 -1% | 32.6 -8% |
Idle Maximum * | 30.2 | 31.9 -6% | 33.1 -10% | 31.5 -4% | 30.5 -1% | 30.4 -1% | 33.8 -12% |
Load Average * | 32.1 | 40 -25% | 38.1 -19% | 37.5 -17% | 30.5 5% | 31.8 1% | 49.3 -54% |
Load Maximum * | 32.5 | 40.5 -25% | 43.6 -34% | 34.1 -5% | 30.5 6% | 33.4 -3% | 50.9 -57% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
The Geekom Mini IT12's case only warmed up slightly in idle mode. Its case temperatures were also not too noticeable under load. Warm air directly exits the case via a small fan at the back
During the Prime95 load test, the Intel Core i7-1260P only had a maximum temperature of 85 °C, although 100 °C was reached during the FurMark test. Here, the iGPU part got significantly hotter than the rest of the SoC under load. In the stress test, however, high temperatures were reached right after startup. As soon as the PL1 limited the device's consumption to only 28 watts, the iGPU part's temperatures also dropped to much better values.
Power consumption
Due to the SoC's conservative power targets, the Geekom Mini IT12 was the most frugal mini PC in our comparison - behind the Minisforum MC560. In idle mode, we measured very low readings of 5 to 10.7 watts. Under average load, our test sample was still relatively frugal at just over 50 watts, although we only measured 82 watts in peaks. The Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit scored much worse in a direct comparison and clearly lost to the Geekom Mini IT12 even in idle mode. Its power supply delivered up to 90 watts and was not overloaded at any time during the test.
Off / Standby | 1.9 / 2.2 Watt |
Idle | 5 / 7 / 10.7 Watt |
Load |
50.3 / 82 Watt |
Geekom Mini IT12 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Morefine M600, 6900HX R9 6900HX, Radeon 680M | Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 i9-12900H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Minisforum Mars Series MC560 R5 5600U, Vega 7 | Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 R5 5600U, Vega 7 | Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Average of class Mini PC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | -9% | -56% | -47% | -75% | 15% | -7% | 1% | -41% | |
Idle Minimum * | 5 | 5.1 -2% | 12.1 -142% | 9.9 -98% | 12.1 -142% | 6.2 -24% | 8.4 -68% | 5.26 ? -5% | 9.75 ? -95% |
Idle Average * | 7 | 5.8 17% | 12.2 -74% | 11 -57% | 13 -86% | 6.3 10% | 8.7 -24% | 8.46 ? -21% | 11.7 ? -67% |
Idle Maximum * | 10.7 | 10.2 5% | 12.3 -15% | 11.2 -5% | 18.2 -70% | 7.5 30% | 9.3 13% | 10.7 ? -0% | 14.7 ? -37% |
Load Average * | 50.3 | 68.1 -35% | 64 -27% | 74.2 -48% | 70.6 -40% | 41.3 18% | 46.4 8% | 44.8 ? 11% | 51.9 ? -3% |
Load Maximum * | 82 | 108.3 -32% | 98.8 -20% | 103.2 -26% | 113 -38% | 49 40% | 52 37% | 66.8 ? 19% | 86 ? -5% |
* ... smaller is better
Power consumption with external monitor
Pros
Cons
Verdict - a quiet Intel NUC alternative
The Geekom Mini IT12 is a small and powerful mini PC, which doesn't make any annoying or loud fan noises - even under load. Along with its Intel Core i7-1260P, this device is a modern - but not the newest - Intel SoC. The difference in performance compared to the Intel Core i7-1360P was kept within limits during our test - meaning you can accept this performance deficit. After all, the Intel Core i7-1260P is an SoC with twelve native cores. The Geekom Mini IT12 makes a great impression thanks to its wide connectivity options -including two Thunderbolt ports which can greatly widen the device's range of uses. In our test, we also noted good WLAN performance and a card reader with UHS-II support.
The Geekom Mini IT12 is a compact computing beast which can be used for a multitude of tasks and has amazing connectivity options!
The Geekom Mini IT12 delivered decent performance during our test, even though the SoC was somewhat limited when it came to power consumption - most likely a manufacturer issue. Even so, the device gained some extra points in its excellent emission figures. You can't go wrong with the version with 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB SSD - even then, high intensity tasks prove to be no issue for the PC.
If anything, the device's plastic case is just a little disappointing. An aluminum case would have a bit more of a high-quality feel, which is in part already used by Morefine and Minisforum. Furthermore, there aren't any other color options. Purely looks-wise, we like the design - and the device is well constructed and with no faults whatsoever.
Prices and availability
You can get the Geekom Mini IT12 directly from the manufacturer; currently, it is only available for pre-order. The version we tested is available for $639 and the more expensive one (Intel Core i5-1260P, 32-GB-RAM, 1024-GB-SSD) can be had for $709. The device's predecessor, the Geekom Mini IT11, is currently on offer on Amazon for $629.99.
Transparency
The present review sample was given to the author by the manufacturer free of charge for the purposes of review. There was no third-party influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review.
Geekom Mini IT12
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04/25/2023 v7
Sebastian Bade